VA loans, FHA, and the right loan for your legacy.
Eight programs. One team. From VA loans and FHA financing to jumbo, refinance, and construction lending, we’ll help you find the right fit for your file across Virginia and Florida.
NMLS #308553 · Licensed in VA + FL · Best of Roanoke 2023
Pick the Program. Then Meet the Team That Closes It.
Most lenders push the program with the highest margin. We start with what fits your file. Click any card to jump to the full breakdown, including what it takes to qualify, the typical down payment, and the borrower it’s built for.
Conventional
The flexibility most buyers want. Low down payment options for first-time buyers, smart pricing for repeat owners.
VA Loans
No down payment for those who served. We close VA loans the way Realtors hope every lender would.
FHA
A low down payment with credit-friendly guidelines. A real path to homeownership when other doors look closed.
USDA
Zero down for eligible rural areas. Common in our Virginia footprint and underused by buyers who’d qualify.
Jumbo
For homes above conforming limits. Custom-structured for executives, physicians, and high-earner files.
Construction-to-Perm
One close for build and mortgage. Land, draws, and final loan handled cleanly so your builder stays paid.
Bridge & Gap
Buy before you sell. Tap the equity in your current home so you can move on the right house, not the wrong timeline.
The Right Loan, Not The Highest-Margin One.
The Flexible Default for Most Homebuyers.
Low down payment options for first-time buyers, flexible structures for repeat owners. Built for loan amounts within the conforming limit, with higher caps available in designated high-cost areas.
Conventional is the program most files start with for one reason: it gives you the most options. Multiple fixed-rate terms, adjustable rate options for shorter horizons, and PMI that drops off automatically once you build sufficient equity.
If your credit profile is solid and your income is documentable through W-2s or steady self-employment, conventional usually beats government programs on monthly payment over the life of the loan.
Buyers with solid credit, traditional W-2 or steady self-employed income, and a path to building equity over time.
Conventional 30-Year Fixed
Low
Flexible
Conforming
With equity
Program terms depend on credit, income, property type, and loan size, and are subject to change. This is not a commitment to lend.
The Strongest Program Available for Those Who Served.
Zero down. No private mortgage insurance. Competitive rates, lenient credit guidelines, and the closest thing to a buyer-friendly mortgage product still on the market.
VA loans are guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs and built specifically for active-duty service members, veterans, National Guard, Reserves, and eligible surviving spouses. The benefit is real, and most files we see could have gone VA but ended up on a different program because someone didn’t take the time to understand how VA actually closes.
There is a one-time funding fee, which can usually be financed into the loan and is waived entirely for veterans with service-connected disabilities. The team underwrites VA files the way Realtors hope every lender would, so the appraisal myths and occupancy questions don’t kill deals before they need to.
Active-duty service members, veterans, National Guard or Reserve members, and eligible surviving spouses. Confirm eligibility through VA.gov or let the team request your Certificate of Eligibility.
Conventional 30-Year Fixed
Low
Flexible
Conforming
With equity
Program terms depend on credit, income, property type, and loan size, and are subject to change. This is not a commitment to lend.
The Forgiving Path When Other Doors are Closed.
A low down payment with flexible credit guidelines. More forgiving on debt-to-income ratios and credit history than conventional.
FHA is government-insured, which is why guidelines are looser and the door stays open for buyers who would get a no on a conventional file. It comes with mortgage insurance for the life of the loan in most cases, so the lifetime cost can run higher, but for the right borrower it is the difference between owning and renting.
Most first-time homebuyers in our markets land here for their first house, then refinance into conventional once they build sufficient equity. Done right, that’s a smart play.
First-time buyers, borrowers rebuilding credit after a prior issue, and applicants with higher debt-to-income ratios who don’t yet qualify for conventional pricing.
FHA Loan
Low
Flexible
Flexible
Financed
Mortgage insurance amounts vary by loan size, term, and loan-to-value, and are subject to change. Most FHA loans carry mortgage insurance for the life of the loan.
Zero Down for the Rural and Suburban-Fringe Properties Most Buyers Don’t Know Qualify.
Many properties in and around the Roanoke Valley sit inside USDA-eligible zones. Buyers see the word “rural” and assume it means a farm, then walk past one of the strongest no-down-payment programs in the country.
The USDA Rural Development loan was designed to support homeownership in low- and moderate-income households across designated rural and suburban-fringe areas. Income limits apply, but they’re more generous than most assume, and the property eligibility map covers a surprising amount of our service footprint.
If you’re looking outside the immediate Roanoke or Tampa core, there’s a real chance the property qualifies. The team will check the address against the USDA map before the offer goes out, so you’ll know before you commit.
Buyers in rural or suburban-fringe properties of the Roanoke Valley, surrounding Virginia counties, or Polk County Florida who want zero-down financing and meet USDA income guidelines.
USDA Rural Development
None
Flexible
Area median based
Primary
Eligibility tied to property address and household income. Many properties just outside metro cores qualify.
Custom Financing for Files That Don’t Fit a Box.
For loan amounts above the conforming limit. Custom-structured around executive compensation, physician income, equity events, and the high-earner files where one wrong assumption derails the close.
Jumbo loans don’t fit Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac guidelines, so they live in portfolio products with each lender’s own underwriting box. Down payment expectations are higher than conforming loans and depend on the property, loan size, and reserves on file. Rates and structure depend on the program selected.
Tampa Bay and the Roanoke executive market both run jumbo files regularly. The team has structured loans for physicians on residency contracts, executives with restricted stock vesting, and self-employed buyers whose tax returns don’t tell the full income story.
Executive, physician, and high-earner files. Self-employed borrowers with non-traditional income documentation. Buyers in Tampa, Lakeland, Roanoke executive markets, or relocating from coastal markets with stronger purchasing power.
Jumbo Mortgage
Above conforming
Higher
Strong
Required
Jumbo guidelines vary materially by investor. Final structure depends on the borrower file and property type.
One Close for the Build, the Land, and the Permanent Mortgage.
A single closing covers your land purchase, the construction draws to your builder, and the permanent mortgage that takes over once the home is complete. One application. One set of closing costs. One rate lock window.
Construction-to-Perm financing is the cleanest path when you’re building new construction with a chosen builder. The land purchase, the draw schedule that pays your builder as work hits each milestone, and the permanent mortgage that kicks in at certificate of occupancy all run on a single loan.
The alternative, two separate closings (a construction loan and then a takeout permanent mortgage), means twice the paperwork, twice the closing costs, and a re-qualification mid-build that can wreck timing. We coordinate directly with your builder so the draw schedule lines up with their billing and your construction stays on schedule.
Buyers building new construction with a chosen builder. Lot owners ready to break ground. Anyone who wants land, build, and mortgage handled cleanly under a single loan rather than two separate closings.
Construction-to-Perm
One
12-18 months
Higher
Required
Builder credentials and licensing reviewed prior to first close. Draw schedule coordinated with builder billing.
Buy the Next House Before Selling the Current One.
Tap the equity in your current home to fund the down payment on the next, so you can write a contingency-free offer on the right house instead of waiting for the wrong timeline.
Bridge financing solves the timing problem move-up buyers know all too well. The right house comes on the market before yours has sold, and the listing agent is reading sale-of-current-home contingencies as soft offers. Bridge funds the down payment on the new home using the equity sitting in the current one, which lets you write a clean offer on day one.
The math works in tight markets where strong offers are getting accepted within hours. Bridge isn’t free money. There’s a cost to it. But in a market where waiting two weeks to sell first means losing the house, the cost of the bridge usually beats the cost of starting your search over.
Move-up buyers in tight markets who need to write contingency-free offers. Owners with strong equity in the current home and a confident timeline on selling it.
Bridge & Gap Financing
6-12 mo
Up to 80%
Down payment
Home sale
Bridge programs vary by investor. Terms structured around current home equity, projected sale timeline, and new home purchase price.
Lower the Payment, Shorten the Term, or Tap the Equity. With Real Numbers.
Rate-and-term refinances trim the monthly payment or move you from a longer term to a shorter one. Cash-out refinances pull equity out for renovation, debt consolidation, or the next investment. We run the actual break-even, not a sales pitch.
The right refinance question isn’t “are rates low enough.” It’s “does the math work for the specific reason I’d refi.” If you’re trying to drop your payment by a couple hundred a month but the closing costs add a year and a half to your break-even and you’re planning to sell within the year, that refi loses you money even if the rate looks attractive.
Cash-out refinances pull existing equity out as cash, usually for renovation, debt consolidation, or to fund the next purchase. The trade is that you’re extending the loan balance and resetting the amortization clock, so the right call depends entirely on what the cash actually does for you.
Owners watching rates drop, families wanting to shorten the term, equity-rich homeowners ready to renovate or consolidate higher-rate debt, and anyone with a VA or FHA loan considering a streamline.
Refinance Programs
Available
80%
IRRRL
Available
Break-even analysis run before any application. If the math doesn’t work for your timeline, the team will tell you so.
CFPB Owning a Home
Before you commit to any program, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau publishes a free homebuyer hub covering loan estimates, closing costs, and the questions every borrower should ask. We send clients there as a baseline.
The Pre-Approval That Makes These Programs Work.
Pick the right program, then back it with a pre-approval letter that holds. Every file we underwrite gets the full review before an offer goes out, no matter which program it lands on. That’s why Realtors across the Roanoke Valley and Tampa Bay refer their buyers to The Legacy Team.
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Ready to Find Your Loan?
The right program is the one that fits your file, your timeline, and the home you’re trying to close on. Start the application or send the team a question first. Either works.
Or call 540.314.8843 and ask for Jonathan directly.